Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-02-25
st. Valentines Customs.
Springfield Republican !.

This is festival which poets have hon-
ored and lovers have observed from time
immemorial. The observance is much
more than 1000 years old, when the
Christian Valentine was beaten with
clubs and beheaded, at the time of the
great heather festival of love and purif-
cation.
In that curious record of domestic life
in England in the reign of Charles II,
"Peppy's Diary" we find some notable
events,of the customs connected with this
day. II appears that married and single
were then alike to be chosen as valen-
tine; and that lady valentines were hon
ored not by anonymous verses but by
substantial gifts. -Four days after
Pepys had chosen Martha Batten for his
valentine he took her to the Exchange,
and there, upon pair of embroidered,
and six plain white gloves, l laid out
40s."
The question of expense troubled the
dairist. When in 1867, he took his wife
for honorary valentine he wrote down
the fact that it would cost him e5: but
he consolsd himself by another fact
that he must have laid out as
much 'if we had not been
any valentines. The outlay at the
hands of princes and courtiers was onor
mos. When the Duke of York was Miss
Stewards valentine he gave her jewel
of about $500 pounds in value; and in
1897, Lord Vaudeville, being that ladys
valentine, presented her with ring
worth e300. The gifts of Pepys to his
wife look small by the side of presents
made by lovers to ladies. Pops came to
an agreement with Mrs. Pepys to be her
valentine (which did not preclude others
from doing so) every year. "And this
year." he remarked, in 1868, sit Is likely
to cost "a or 60 IN ring for her, which
she desires. In 1863 he bought more
useful things for his cousin Turner, who
told him she had drawn him for her val
entine. Straightway he went to the new
exchange, and bought her pair of fash
ionable green silk stockings and carriers
and shoe strings, and two pairs of jessi-
my gloves, all coming to about 20s"
Other old customs have not been re-
vived, but we may learn some of these
from old makers of notes, and specially
from Pepys, as TO the old methods of
choosing, or avoiding to choose, vaien-
tines. When he went early on Valentines
day to Sir w. Batten's he says he would
not go in"till | asked whether they that
opened he doors was man or woman;
and Ningo, who was there, answered
woman, which, with his tone, made me
laugh; so up | went, and took Mrs. Mar
tina for my valentine (which do only for
com placency); and Sir W. Batten, he go
in the same manner to my wife, and so
We were very merry" On the following
anniversary the diarist tells that US VIII
Bower came to be his wifes valentine, ''she
having (at which l made good sport to
myself held her hands all the morning;
that she might not see the painters that
were at work gliding my chimney piece
and pictures in my dining room" II
would seem, moreover, that man was
not free from the pleasing pains of val
entiDnship when the festival day was
over. On Shrove Tuesday, March 8, 1868,
after dinner, says Pepys, Mrs. The.
showed mo my mans upon her breast as
her valentine; which," he added, will cost
me 30s." Again, in 1857, fortnight after
the actual day, Pepys was with his wife at
the Exchange, land there bought things
for Mrs. Pierce's little daughter, my val
entinine (which" he says, Il was not sor-
ry for, it easing me OF something more
than than | must have given to others),
and so to her house, where we find Knapp,
who also challenged me for her valentine"
of course Pepys bad TO pay the usual
homage in acknowledgement, of such
choice.J
Then, as Pepys had a little girl for
valentine so boys were welcomed to early
gallantry by the ladies. A thoroughly
domestic scene is revealed to us on st.
Valentines day, 1865: 'This morning
comes betimes Dickie Pen, to be my
wife's valentine; and came to our bed
side. By the same token | had him
brought to my bedside, thinking to have
made him kiss me; bat he perceived me,
and would not, so he went to his valen-
tine-a notable, stout witty boy" When
a lady drew valentine, a gentleman SO
drawn would have been deemed shabby
if he did not accept the honor and re-
sponsibility. On the 18th of February,
1867, We have the following: "This
morning called up by Mr.. Hill, who my
wife thought had come to be her valen-
entine-she, it seems, having drawn him,
but it proved not. However, calling him
up to our bedside, my wife challenged
him." Where men could thus intrude,
boys like Dickie Pen could boldly go.
Thus in 1867: This morning came up
to my wife's bedside little Will Mercer,
to be her valentine, ahd brought her
name writ upon blue pape., in gold let
tiers done by himself very pretty; and
we were both well pleased with it,
The drawing of names and name in
scriptions were remnants of old customs
before the christian era. Alban Butter,
under the head of "St. Valentine, Priest
and Martyr" says:
ITO abolish the heathen's lswd, super
stitious custom of boys drawing the
names of girls in honor of their goddess,
Februsrta Juno, on the 18th of the month
(the drawing being on the eve of the 14th)
several Jealous pastors substituted the
names of saints in billets given on this
day"
This does not, however, seem to have
taken place until the time of st. Francis
de Sales, who, in the 17th century, as we
srotole in his lifo, severely forbade the
custom of valentines, or giving boys in
writing the names of girls to be admired
or attended on by them; and to abolish it
he changed it into giving billets with
the names of certain saints for thsm to
honor and initiate in q particular man
ner."
To the drawing of names those of the
saints gave way to living objects of ador
ation-was first added, in 1867, custom
out of which has sprung the modern val
entine. In the February of that year
Pepys writes:
Il DO first observe the fashion of draw
ing notices as well as names; SO that
Pierce who drew my wife's did draw also
a motto, most courteous and most fsir;'
which, as it may be used, or an anagram
made upon each name, might be very
pretty"
The valentines. of chance were those
who drew names; the valentines by choice
were made by those who could not open
their eyes on Valentines morn till the one
he or she most desired TO see was near.
The one by chance sometimes proved to
be the one by choice also, and such were
true valentines.
Pennant, in his "Tour in Scotland tells
Us that in February you.g persons draw
valentines, and from thence collect their
future fortune i, the nuptial state; and
describing the manners of some parties,
tells us they sent true-love knots on Valen-
tine morning.
st. Valentines day is alluded to by
Shakespeare and by Chaucer, and also by
the poet Lydgate, the monk of Bury
who died in 144o). One of the earliest
known writer's of valentines was Charles.
Duke of Orleans, who was taken st the
battle of Agincourt.
Conversation in 1888.
Boston Transcript
He-I saw a lady at the thsater last